Cairo , Egypt -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- During the summer of 2009 , Egyptians from all walks of life waited in hopeful anticipation for the arrival of newly-elected U.S. President Barack Obama in Cairo .

The city spent weeks preparing for the visit . Streets were shut down , buildings lining the route to Cairo University were repainted , and the dome under which Obama was set to give his speech renovated . Egyptians listened to the president 's speech with much hope -- and when it was over , local talk shows spent days analyzing his words . American politics had gone on tour to Egypt , a place that has historically watched American politics very closely .

But Obama 's visit in 2009 is yet another reminder of how drastically different the situation in Egypt has become since the January 25th revolution last year .

It is hard to tell there was a revolution in many parts of Cairo just months ago . The rubble is cleared from downtown streets after each new battle between police and protesters , the blood washed away quickly . Deposed President Hosni Mubarak 's National Democratic Party building is still standing , but it has been burnt from the inside out . Berlin Wall-style partitions erected by the army block several of the six or so roads leading to Tahrir Square , the heart of the revolution .

As the 2012 U.S. presidential race heats up and the primaries get under way , many Egyptians are too busy with their own concerns to follow along . It has been more than a year since the uprising started , and while Cairo has cleaned itself up , the city remains mired in turmoil and confusion over the transitional process to its own democracy .

Cairo , like many major cities in the world , has historically observed the U.S. presidential election closely and with a great deal of skepticism . But the public mindset , typically littered with guesswork and conspiracy theories , is now one of indifference .

In neighborhoods across Cairo , men and women in smoke-filled cafes tune in to daily political talk shows discussing Egypt 's own crisis and fears for the future -- a new phenomenon in post-Mubarak days -- on televisions blaring so loud that entire neighborhoods can hear them .

In the bars and cafes along the crowded , traffic-choked streets of downtown Cairo , people are too busy making the news to watch it unfold on television . At the Greek Club , or inside the historic Cafe Riche , with its warm amber-tinted windows and walls lined with photos of Egypt 's great intellectuals , Cairo 's political activists and academics gather over beers to talk about the great issues of the day .

We used to talk a lot more about U.S. politics than we do now . Friends of mine , avid followers of the U.S. political scene who used to be able to name various Congressmen and their policies , just are n't paying as much attention this time around .

I believe the U.S. election is incredibly important -- U.S. foreign policy affects much of the world , and the president is the chief diplomat . But Republicans have yet to choose a candidate -- they 've not found that ace , that someone fresh who can challenge Obama , and that 's making it hard for people to pay attention right now .

Egyptians watched the 2004 U.S. elections closely because they felt they had a stake in the outcome , especially considering the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . In 2008 , Cairo closely watched as America neared the election of the first African-American president , the candidate of hope and change .

Egyptians are viewing the 2012 elections with a certain amount of cynicism . All of the superficial reasons why Egyptians admired Obama have melted away , and what is left in some corners is a feeling that he was n't as quick to embrace our push for freedom as he could have been .

While many Egyptians feel George W. Bush had a clear position on democracy and freedom of speech in Egypt , Obama came to Cairo in 2009 and made promises to the Egyptian people that were not necessarily kept . And recent events have convinced some that the Obama administration is not so keen on fulfilling its promises to supporting freedom , democracy , and civil liberties .

Even though Bush is generally regarded negatively for his `` War on Terror , '' it is interesting to hear some engaged political activists say that they miss the Bush days , preferring his support of freedom of speech in Egypt when compared to the Obama administration .

One long-time activist said that during the days of Bush , then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made several visits to Egypt , underlining the importance of democracy and freedom of speech . In 2005 , he said , the fruits of that pressure resulted in `` relatively fair '' parliamentary elections , particularly when compared to the second round of parliamentary polls and the 2010 elections .

For the first time in recent history , our own political news is the dominant issue , so local media coverage of the race to the White House so far has been dismal at best . And as our revolution continues , so clashes between protesters and security forces and the onset of uprisings in neighboring countries have saturated the news cycle .

As the newly elected parliament here delves into its first session , Egyptians for the first time are experiencing their own taste of democracy , with all the troubles that comes along with it . Egyptians are watching the newly elected members of parliament closely , watching as they become household names , waiting to review their performances .

In the past , many Egyptians sought out hope and salvation in the actions of foreign governments -- but this electoral season , after a year of real change in Egypt , many Egyptians learned that hope will have to come , or at least start , from within .

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Egyptian revolution has diminished normally avid following of U.S. politics

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Superficial reasons why Cairo citizens admired Barack Obama have faded

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Some Egyptian activists say they miss the days of former president George W. Bush

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Egypt 's newly elected parliament only recently began its first session